Earlier today, Astute Reader Dexter pointed out to me, via email, that, no, Ambitious Brew is not available on Kindle. Or, for that matter, in any e-format. (*1)

That's 'cause, way back when --- oh, 2001 or so --- when my agent and I signed the contract for the book, no one was thinking much about e-books or the future of the book.

Of course we're all thinking about it now. And I'm sure as hell hoping my forthcoming book will come out in an e-format at the same time as it comes out in the old-fashioned format. (When Agent and I signed that contract in 2007, all concerned were more aware of the changing reality. Although at that point, none of us had heard of the Kindle.)

In any case, Dexter sent along a link to this article pondering the new-as-of-48-hours-ago version of Kindle. I'm hoping, and have been for some time, for a viable e-reader.

So far, am not wowed enough to plunk down money. But I can tell: it's coming. And soon. As Andrew Keen pointed out recently, 2009 will likely be regarded at the Year of the Tipping Point for publishing.

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*1: Note to Loyal Reader Dave: the link leads to the Amazon page for Ambitious Brew.(*2)

*2: Dave has hounded me for not including a link to a place where people could buy my books. I explained that I didn't want to load the website with ads or favor one book-buying site over another, so I didn't include links to a "buy it here" site. But I finally caved today and added a book image and link in the sidebar.

Maureen Ogle

Website of Maureen Ogle, author and historian. Books include Ambitious Brew: The Story of American Beer, In Meat We Trust: An Unexpected History of Carnivore America, and Key West: History of An Island of Dreams.